shuntsforshuntna

1) Blackberrying
2) Ice-skating
3) To the natural history museum, Hamleys and Harrods in London
4) To a swimming pool with slides and rapids
5) To the Dorset seaside
6) To the library to pick out a book each.
7) To charity and vintage shops to find old treasures and bargains.
8) To a homely and old fashioned tea shop for a cream tea.
9) To the woods/countryside for Sunday afternoon walks.
10) Cake baking – just for fun and to make a really impressive one on their birthdays.
11) Over to my siblings’ houses so they can grow up being friends with their cousins.
12) To Camden Market
13) To the Zoo
14) To the aquarium
15) To Paris to show them where I used to live and my favourite places to go.
16) Camping, even if it’s only in the garden.
17) Let them choose seeds from the garden centre and plant them together in the garden so they can watch their flowers grow.
18) Get a paddling pool for the garden to play in in the Summer.
19) Buy the oldest a doll to play with when the next baby is born, so that they have their own baby to look after too.
20) Make hand and feet print pictures in paint to remember just how small they were.
21) Keep a height chart with marked ages on the wall.
22) Have pancakes for breakfast on special occasions.
23) Make home videos of them learning to walk.
24) Make a scrap book together of photos and other memories.
25) Go on a boat trip.
26) Teach girls to plait and do their hair.
27) Go to the cinema
28) Go to the theatre
29) Read to them every night.
30) Sing to ‘Sweet baby James’ to them when they can’t sleep.
31) See my parents at least twice a year.
32) Go to the park
33) Feed the ducks at the river.
34) Go to the London Dungeons.
35) Teach them to ride a bike.
36) Watch Disney films together.
37) Give them baths with bubbles to play with.
38) Have a family meal as often as possible.
39) Put their drawings up on the wall.
40) Make a blanket fort.
41) Go to fireworks and have sparklers on Guy Fawkes night.
42) Make a design and carve a pumpkin together on Halloween.
43) Send them valentines cards on Valentines day.
44) Take them to buy Fathers’ day presents.
45) Get my mum and dad to record them a tape of them reading a story so it can be kept forever.
46) Do an Easter egg hunt for them.
47) Make treasure hunts for them with lots of clues.
48) Play car games on long journeys.
49) Have picnics when the weather’s nice.
50) Fly a kite together.
51) Play poohsticks
52) Play hide and seek.
53) Read Beatrix Potter books, The Mr men series, the Maisy series, The moomin series, Dr Monsoon Taggert’s amazing finishing academy, The cuckoo clock, Roald Dahl books, Harry Potter books.
54) Go fishing.
55) Get a pet.
56) Get my old clothes and toys down from my parents’ attic.
57) Have a tooth fairy purse to put the money in for their milk teeth.
58) Watch the snowman and father christmas cartoon on Christmas day
59) Go to church on Christmas Eve.

From what I can see it’s possible to see the Northern lights from several different countries.

It’s not possible to know then the lights will occur so unless you’ve got all the time in the world, it’s ‘book your trip and hope for the best, you could easily be disappointed.

Booking some sort of package deal with guidance about where to go is mythically expensive, but going blindly could easily result in a disaster.

What is one meant to do?

I really, really want to go.

Anyone? help?

Starting from September I will be doing my postgrad study and though this means further loans and a grant to cover about a third of my tuition fees, I shall be supporting myself, using my savings and the money I worked for.

Maybe I should feel dread or worry at losing the financial help my parents have given me during my undergrad, but I actually find it strangely liberating. I am taking control and responsibility for my own life and it makes me feel independent and powerful, like I’m taking on the world alone!